Pokémon ZER0
by Evhron
Summary: A story about Zero's return to society after his time in jail. His story is deeper than you may think, and will tell about his past and future, which is none other than a Pokémon adventure, with the difference that this short story is a bit more tragic and dark than other stories (it's not brutal though). Sink in to know more! Best wishes!
1. A Second Chance

"This is your last session, since you'll be freed today for what I've heard" said a psychologist.

"Well, my time here isn't really an atonement for my sins... I hope that once I'm back I can do something for society, aside from my non-ethical research, that got lost" Zero said.

"You see Zero, I'm sure your research would've been a great accomplishment. No one had accomplished studying one of the 3 God pokemon in that way. You don't have to feel bad for that, the problem is that you harmed innocent people and pokemon, but I can see that you have understood this".

"Yeah, I'll finally be free after this 6 months. Nothing compared to other criminals I guess, but it has been quite the harsh experience for me."

"Do you have any idea of what you will do now?"

"I'll leave the research to my boss. It was never mine in the first place, and I don't feel comfortable going back to the distortion world".

"Any friends you think you can see after such a long time isolated from the world? Cause your social abilities are still, you know, a bit rusty..."

"I was never the social or friendly fellow, since childhood I was quite lonely and happy about it. I do have friends... well, aside from Newton and Infi, there's only a friend that I haven't seen in a long time, but I don't think I can even look at her after all I've done..." Zero sadly admitted.

"Pokemon and humans can be very complicated, but still we are similar cause we can all forgive. Your pokemon have already forgiven you, I bet your friend can do it too" the psychologist tried to cheer him.

"I hope you're right. Anyway, I first have to go back to my home in Celestic Town. I'm feeling homesick, for the first time in my life. I never really felt that my house was a home, since I don't have a family. But still, it's a good starting point for this new beginning".

"You're still young. 23, right? I bet you can still accomplish your dreams. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, when we were kids, my best friend and I dreamed of becoming champions. I wasn't a bad trainer at all, actually, I have all 8 badges, however, my obsession made me forget about training and I became interested only in the distortion world and the origin of the universe. I also stored all of my pokemon but Magnezone in the PC."

"At least you have something to go back to. Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Hmmm. No, not really. Thank you for your help during these past months".

"I'm glad I could work with you Zero. You have a brilliant mind and I'm sure you will accomplish anything you propose yourself to do. Don't forget that friends are very important too, and try to make new ones as you travel, since I think you will start travelling a lot as you train, won't you?"

"I guess I will, and it fills me with expectation."

"I wish you the best of luck then, take care Zero" concluded the psychologist as he stood up and extended his hand to shake Zero's.

"You too Doctor" And he shook his hand.

Zero went to a room and got his normal clothes back. It had been a while since he wore this, and the black and white stripes were kind of tiring. A pair of jeans and a black shirt with a supernova had never felt so comfortable.

He went to the closest pokemon center and went to the PC.

"I'm so sorry guys, but I promise that this time I won't leave you" he said while scrolling through the PC boxes and transferring his pokemon.

He got back 5 poke balls, containing 5 Sinnoh pokemon that hadn't been used in combat for a couple of years. The coma state they were left while being stored made them feel like it had been a while, though, but Zero still felt guilty.

Magnezone was the first to come out, since he could use magnetic force to levitate and travel with his trainer at high speeds. It was almost as using Fly, but this was only allowed due to the magnetism in Mt. Coronett. Still, it was no problem, and in a couple minutes of fresh air and freedom, they were in Celestic Town.

He used to live in a zone next to a small forest. He looked at his house, a small wooden structure of triangluar shape (nordic style) with a first floor that has a kitchen and a living room (a couch and a TV connected to a Wii), and a second one that was his room. It looked quite comfortable and pretty, and he couldn't help but feel nostalgia and an immense happiness.

He went outside and let all of his pokemon out of their pokeballs. In the forest, four pokemon emerged and were free after such a long time. Magnezone and Zero were reunited with their friends: Gallade, Gastrodon (east), Spiritomb and Porygon-Z.

All of the pokemon saw Zero and were so happy that they all jumped to embrace him.

"Gah! Well-I...-missed...-you...a lot...-too you know?" almost asfixiated of so much love.

After a while they released him, and even though he was happy, he felt that his team had to know the truth.

"Guys, even though I'm tremendously happy to see you all, I must say that I was wrong about many things. Maybe you didn't realise how much time you were in those pokeballs, but I am ahamed to say it was a very, VERY long time. I abandoned you and anything good I used to care about because of an obsession, and I hurt people and pokemon for my selfish actions. I don't want to make the same mistakes, never again will I abandon you or anyone I love the way I did, and I hope, I really hope you can all forgive me" he said with a serious but guilty tone, one that transmitted perfectly his true feelings to his pokemon friends, who immediately went to support him and make him feel better.

"Hah... thank you guys, I thought you would understand, but I wasn't expecting so much mercy, you are true friends, and I promise you we'll go back to our dream!" he said as all pokemon looked at him with expectation.

"That's right pals, we'll go back to training, and we'll defeat the current champion in the region!"

Cheers and sounds of joy were heard.

"What's all this noise about?" said an old woman.

Zero looked backwards and saw her and recognised her immediately: "Professor Carolina! Long time no see!"

"Zero! my boy, you look so grown. I still remember when you and Cynthia left to become pokemon trainers when you were only 13! I also remember that you took such a good care of her, since she's 2 years younger, isn't she? And now look at you so tall and with all this mature aura around you!" Professor Carolina said as she still stared at him with disbelief.

"I'm not so sure about the last part, but I guess I am a bit older than when we left the town nine years ago."

"What happened to you? The last I heard was that you had started some kind of scientific investigation, what was that about?"

"Well, I was a student and helper of Newton Graceland, a brilliant scientist and investigator who was doing research in the distortion world. However, things didn't flourish, and as a result I left the job" said Zero, ashamed of omitting the dark parts of that story.

"Distortion world! So you entered such a place, a place where only Giratina was supposed to inhabit. Since you were a kid you were fascinated by the stories about the pokemon deities, weren't you? I'm really amazed by what you've done. What are you planning to do now?"

"Well, I think Cynthia's time as a champion has to come to an end"

"So you haven't given up on that hope? Haha, I'm so happy that my dear Cynthia got so far! I'm sure she couldn't have made it without you by her side..."

"Nonsense! Cynthia was always the strong kind. I was always so shy and insecure. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have left the town".

"You two have always complimented each other. Such a pity that you parted ways after the incident... But I don't think all hope is gone..." The old woman encouraged Zero.

"I was the one who screwed up anyway... My depression was terrible, but at the same time I didn't want her to stop chasing her dream because of my weakness"

"My poor Cynthia never thought of it that way. I instantly knew that there was a reason for it though, and here we are, my suspicions turned out to be true. I thank you for not being an obstacle for her, however, now things have changed, you seem to have restored your well-being and are no longer a burden for anyone. You, you still love her don't you?" She asked with a smirk that was only confirming what she already knew.

"...Yes. And there hasn't been a day I haven't thought of her after we stopped seeing each other. Arceus, how I miss her!" He said as he grabbed his head with his hands in sign of frustration.

"Zero, you just have to explain to her what you just told me. I know she will understand, she is an adult now" she said trying to comfort him.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that my decision made her so miserable for some time... Also, that's not the only reason I don't feel that I deserve her" He confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"I just got out of jail. During my research I became obsessed and I caused great harm to Giratina and the distortion world, which caused damage in our world too, harming people and pokemon. If it wasn't by some group of kids... who knows what would've happened" He said as the weigh of a Wailord got off of his shoulders.

"I can't believe this! Zero, my child, how did you stray so much from the path?"

"Not even I can find an excuse for my own actions. I am deeply ashamed of it, and I hope I can make amends for what I did".

"You are speaking from the heart, I can tell. It's not my duty to judge or forgive you anyway, but I think that we can all make mistakes, some are bigger than others, that's all, but we can always go back to our roots and start again"

"I wonder if Cynthia will think that way too..."

"You must try to find out. But given the fact that this is a new beginning for you, I believe that this is your chance. Believe me, I have lived long enough to tell you that this is a golden opportunity".

"If you say so... I'll do it. I'll use this chance life has given me, I'll fulfill every dream I once had!"

"That's the spirit of a young man!"

"Thank you so much for your counseling!" Zero grabbed her hands and made a couple reverences.

"If there's anything I can help you with just call me!"

"I'll have it in mind" said Zero as he started returning his pokemon to their pokeballs and went to his house to get everything ready for adventure.

Once Zero left she thought: "Anything for my Cynthia. I'm sure that her biggest dream was not becoming the champion, but being with you Zero. And I know she is still hoping for that to come true. Oh Arceus, please let this happen..."

\-- LINE HERE --

 **So well, this was the first chapter. I hope it was fun and filled with expectation. It is kind of difficult to mix games with the movies, but I'm giving it a try. Feel free to check my other story as well and leave reviews.** **Darkmatter17**


	2. Gallade

A cold Spring morning in Celestic Town

Alarm Clock From Hell sounding*

Yawn* "6:00. Well, gotta wake up early to make sure everything's perfect..."

Zero let his pokemon out of their pokeballs outside and fed them a mix of berries and pellets. They were eating happily, so he decided to go back into the house to take a shower and have breakfast.

After the shower he picked clothes for his journey. It wasn't like he had a full closet, but still he had to pick something that he would be wearing for months, or maybe a year.

Even though it seemed like a tough decision, it was pretty clear to him: his favourite pair of jeans, his black t-shirt with a white tesseract in the center, purple sneakers and his black zip hoodie, just in case it got cold.

For breakfast he made some eggs and bacon (who knows of what pokemon) and had a cup of coffee.

Once he packed all important belongings (pokedex, music player, headphones, money, food, etc) he went outside to see how his pokemon were doing.

"How are you doing guys? Are you ready to finish what we once started?" he asked them all, getting sounds of axiety and energy.

"Hahaha, I can feel your energy guys, and I may be a bit rusty in all the fighting stuff, but I'm sure that if we are determined to win, we will. Now, I'm gonna put you back in your pokeballs and start heading to Sunnyshore City.

"I'll go by foot, just to remember the joy of this kind of life" he thought.

Indeed, the beautiful forests, caves and rivers that were in the road were a sight that he hadn't had apreciated in years. The Distortion World was a fascinating place, however, it lacked the variety that this world had. The different natural phenomena, the pokemon that inhabited every possible landscape, the people that lived in the colourful towns and cities all across the region, etc. The world where he lived had so much to offer, yet he took it for granted, but now that he was back he was truly enjoying the fact of being there, right now, living that whole experience, choosing to be there in that moment, in that holy reality. To be there along with his pokemon. To be in the same world as the person he loved.

After a whole day of exploring and moving across the region it was getting darker. He had calculated that he would be arriving at Veilstone City.

While looking for an hotel he saw a trio of weird space-looking guys discussing in a corner. It kind caught his attention for a short while, but he just went on with his search.

After a couple of minutes he found a nice looking hotel that wasn't too expensive, so he paid for a room and decided to stay for the night. He left his black white backpack on the floor and got everything ready to have some sleep. It had been a great journey so far, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't be tired, cause he changed his clothes and put on a pijama to instantly throw himself in the tender bed and call it a day.

Next morning, he had breakfast at the hotel and went for a walk. It had been ages since he had been in the city, so he decided to go around and see what had changed or if there was something interesting to do. After some time he remembered that there was something odd about the place, a building that he didn't remember seeing when he was younger. He decided to check it out.

Once inside, he saw that there were more people with the same logo that the weird space guys were wearing the day before.

Out of curiosity, he decided to ask her what was that building and who they were.

"Um... hello, I wanted to know what is this place?"

"You're in Galaxy Enterprises main building, the biggest scientific research establishment in Sinnoh".

"I see... Since when is this here?"

"The building used to be the old Team Galactic's base, but after their leader was defeated a year ago the organisation got disbanded and commander Saturn transformed it into a real company. The actual structure was built three years ago though".

"That's why I didn't recognise it. Thank you for the information".

"You're welcome" she answered a bit coldly and returned to her work as if nothing happened.

Zero left the building and thought about what he had just heard: "Team Galactic, Commander Saturn... What the hell happened while I was gone?"

He went back to the hotel to pick up his things and go back to his journey. Once he made sure that nothing was missing he was ready to leave.

In the way, some trainers challenged him to a battle, to which he accepted and totally smashed his rivals. His team already had really strong pokemon, but he only used Gallade to end these low level combats. Gallade, apart from knowing Cut, knew a wide variety of moves that made him deadly. Close Combat was the strongest, followed by Psychic, Shadow Ball and Leaf Blade. The random trainers who thought that stood a chance were defeated without getting to know other Pokemon that wasn't Gallade. They couldn't be more wrong, but since they didn't make it further, they are not to blame.

Gallade had been the fourth Pokemon in Zero's possession. He was given to him as an egg by Lucian of the elite four. This was due to a random encounter between the two. Lucian wasn't part of the elite four when this happened either, but he was making his way into becoming part of the select group. For this reason, he had been looking for Ralts, a quite rare specimen in the Sinnoh region. However, he wasn't able to find a single one, which forced him to travel to Hoenn in order to get that pokemon. Once in Hoenn, he thought that it would be too easy to just go into a forest or the tall grass and catch a weak Ralts.

He knew he could do better than that, so he decided to get an egg, which could probably have a special move within it. He contacted a breeder and asked him if he had any Ralts eggs, and in fact, he had two! Lucian decided to take both, since it wasn't sure that one of them came with a special move, so he increased his chances.

Back in Sinnoh, he came across Zero and Cynthia in their journey. Zero was bored, so he challenged him to a battle:

"Go, Magneton!" he said.

"Go, Bronzong!" Lucian responded.

Lucian's pokemon were stronger than Zero's, but not for a big difference.

"C'mon Magneton, use Thunder!" and Magneton did, but its attack was weak against Bronzong.

"Use psychic!" ordered Lucian, dealing massive damage to Magneton.

"Magneton, go back! Finish it Gabite!" Zero said.

"Bronzong use Gyro Ball!" And Bronzong attacked Gabite, who took the damage with no problem.

"Now, Gabite use Flamethrower!" And Gabite left Bronzong out of combat.

"Wow, you're quite powerful" praised Lucian. "But I am aiming too high just to lose to a kid... Medicham smash!" he said as he sent out the pokemon.

"Gabite use Crunch!" attacking with normal results.

"Medicham attack with an Ice Punch!"

"Oh no..." Gabite took the attack fully and fell unconscious. He put the dragon back in the pokeball and sent out his third pokemon "Gastrodon, you can do it! Use Surf!"

"Medicham, Ice Punch again!" and Medicham evaded the attack and left Gastrodon unconscious in one hit due to the double type weakness once again.

"Fuck!" He swore as he put back the poor slug. "Go Magneton!" but it was already weakened.

"Medicham, end it with Psychic!" and Medicham put an end to the battle.

"Damn it, I thought I could win..." Zero said.

"Don't worry Zero, you did great! My team wouldn't have made it, and Gible has a long way to go... But I learn so much watching you fight!" Cynthia said with a smile.

"You mean it? I guess it wasn't that bad". Zero said as he felt better with himself.

"Actually, you were pretty good. I bet you started your journey not so long ago, as for me, I've been doing this for a decade and I have already got all badges. My objective is to become the champion, so I cannot be less. Now that I think about it, you have a lot of potential, which is why I want to give you a gift..." He said as he got a hold of his backpack to get something.

"Man, it's not necessary at all, you don't have to... is that an egg?!" He asked without believing his eyes.

"Haha, it is an egg from a rare pokemon I got a hold of in Hoenn. I hope you take a good care of it." Lucian told him as he gave the egg to him.

"I can't believe this. I had jeard of this but I had never held an egg with my own hands! Thank you so much!" He thanked Lucian.

"Thank you for a nice battle too! I hope to battle you in the future. I must go now, so take care, and read a lot!" He said as he left.

"I wonder what's in this egg..."

Back to the present, Zero was arriving at Sunnyshore City, the last city before heading to the Pokemon League. A flood of memories passed through his mind, most of them good, until he remembered Victory Road. He snapped out of it and tried to distract himself by walking around the city.

He had been there when he was 17, the last year of his pokemon training days before the hiatus. He couldn't help to feel nostalgia and anxiety, but he kept himself as calm as he could to remain focused on his objective. "Let's go guys, it's time to face the past, and defeat whoever stands in our path."

\- LINE HERE -

What could have happened in Victory Road for Zero to give up on training? Keep reading the future chapters to know more about it.

About reviews, I like to answer my reviews of the previous chapter here, since some people don't have the app and there are bugs sometimes, so this is the best way.

Review:

Istwill56:Well I don't think anyone ever did this. As such you get a plus one. Yeah I can't give thumbs up sadly.

Answer: I'm glad you found it original. Thinking about it, it was pretty much possible because Zero is quite the underground character, but I liked him a lot, so I thought that he deserved a story of his own. And don't worry about the thumbs up, you reviewing is good enough. I hope you like what's coming up.

See you all next chapter!

(PD: Check out Alarm Clock From Hell, it's a great song by Berried Alive)


	3. The Animation Of Entomology

"Go Gastrodon, use surf!"

Zero got on the sea slug pokemon and felt the marine breeze on his face. The sea had always been rather comforting to him, since it always looked so stoic. No matter how things were, the sea just moved as it liked.

"Now that I think about it, they say the ocean is less known than even space... It wouldn't be a bad idea to do research on its depths" He first thought.

"Nah, I'll first become the Champion, then I guess I will be spending a lot of time with Cynthia anyway, so it's going to be a while before I even think about such things..." He realised.

There were other trainers around the area, but none challenged Zero to a battle. He heard one of them say something like "he looks strong". He hated this kind of behaviour though, because it reminded him when he was a child. He was very shy and wouldn't dare to challenge anyone, that was until he met Cynthia when he was 11.

"Hey, you! I've seen you around, but I've never battled you!" Said a little blonde girl.

"I... don't want to fight." Kid Zero answered.

"What? Are you weak or something?"

"No, it's just... I don't want to have a battle with you, or anyone. Just leave me alone ok?"

"Um... no, I won't until you fight me!"

"You're quite a bother you know? Bye" He said as he ran to the woods.

"Hey! You think you can just escape? I won't let you"

And that was the beginning of about a whole month that Cynthia followed Zero and challenged him, with no success until...

Zero was laying on the grass eating some fruits deep into the woods. He was really enjoying them because they were quinces (a yellow acid apple kind of fruit) his favourite kind.

He was calmed and with his eyes closed. He finished eating his second one, and was going to grab the third, when he noticed that it wasn't where he had left it.

He heard munching, so he stood up thinking that it was a pokémon and opened his eyes to realise that it was Cynthia who had not only found him but was also stealing his food.

"Ey U! I cm fr btle" She babbled while eating Zero's precious fruit.

"EEEEHHHH! No, that's it. You can follow me, annoy me and challenge me all you want, but stealing my food is on another level! Cynthia, I CHALLENGE YOU!"

Cynthia swallowed the rest of the fruit.

"Yippie! Go Gible!"

"Go Gible" Said Zero as well.

"Huh? So you have a Gible too? Well, mine is stronger for sure!"

"Just shut up and concentrate on the fight. Gible use Dragon Rage!"

The attack was super effective, but Cynthia's Gible was still standing.

"Gible, use Draco Meteor!"

"Wha-? I'm pretty sure that's not possible!"

"GIIIBLEEE!" Exclaimed the pokémon as he seemed to charge a tremendous attack...

That exploded in his mouth leaving him out of combat.

"Fufufufu! Hahahaha! How foolish can you be to order your pokémon to attack with a move he hasn't learned!"

"I thought that it could work... But at least I fought you, and honestly, I thought that I was gonna lose on the first attack..."

"Why is that?"

"Since the day I saw you I thought you looked cool and strong!"

"Well I am older than you, you could expect my pokémon was stronger too... but why did you try if you knew you were going to lose?"

"The only way to get stronger is to fight those that are stronger than you!"

"It's not a bad idea. Actually, I'd never thought about that"

"So! What do you say? Will you be my rival!"

"Rival? You are a bit weak for that don't you think?"

"Hey c'mon, if I have you as my rival I'll have the motivation to get better!"

"Well, if you say so... I hope our next battle is not this bad!" He sighed.

"Yayyy!"

And from that day on, they started training and battling together, until 2 years later, they went on the journey to become the strongest trainers in the Sinnoh region.

When he returned from his memories, they were arriving at Victory Road, something that gave him a weird mix feeling between hope and uneasyness.

Gastrodon noticed how his trainer felt and rubbed his face through Zero's chest.

"It's all right Gastrodon, looking at it from another side, Garchomp is always with us isn't he? C'mon buddy, let's go." He said as he returned Gastrodon to his pokéball.

Entering Victory Road he had a flashback of Cynthia, stones and blood. He felt a bit sick, but decided to stoicly continue.

"Hey you! Get ready to go back home!" Said a trainer as he sent a Dusclops out.

"Disappear, you're bothering me." Zero answered.

The trainer had never faced such a defeat.

"Just... who are you?! It feels like you were an Elite Four, or even a Champion!"

"I am going to dethrone Cynthia, do you realise how much I've trained?"

"I see. Well, I've lost. I wish you the best, but I doubt you need any luck..."

"You didn't do half bad, but your team is too weak" He told him.

"I'll train much harder, thank you for saving me an inevitable defeat further"

Zero continued his journey through the cave. Now there were many trainers waiting to fight anyone who got in their way. Against Zero though, none of them made it past his first pokémon, which again, was only Gallade.

He kept advancing, until the exit was visible. He tried not to look down the cliff, with all his will. It was futile in the end. He caught a glimpse of a pile of rocks that had been accumulated there for six years now.

"Garchomp..."

Zero led a single tear as he advanced towads the exit and his destiny.

Out of the cave he took a deep breath. He enjoyed the view of that giant waterfall, it was powerful, but at the same time so calm. This place had been where he said goodbye to the dream of becoming Pokémon Champion in the first place. It was as far as he had gotten, but this time, things were different.

"Gastrodon use Surf and then Waterfall!"

The pokémon went into the water and, once it touched the waterfall's border, it started climbing up.

This was a whole new experience for Zero, who had taught this move to Gastrodon, but had never actually used it outside of battle, and he thought it was amazing.

After a couple seconds though, Gastrodon was getting to the top, which meant seeing the magnificent building that was the Pokémon League.

He had never seen such a place. It had an air of greatness and challenge that no other place he had known before gave him.

Once inside, he saw that aside from the shop assistant and the nurse, there weren't many people in the place. This was perfect because it would mean just going through the door and getting to face the first member of the Elite Four.

"Let's do this" He thought.

His team was in perfect condition, so he had no reason to continue delaying the inevitable.

He went through the gate, and as soon as he walked a couple steps, a large door closed behind him.

In front, stood a figure with green hair.

"So, you've come to fight or what?" He asked Zero.

"No, I'm gonna destroy you!"

"Hahaha, I like your spirit! The name's Aaron, and my bugs will eat you alive!"

"We'll see about that"

"Then let's get started. Go Yanmega!"

The flying bug came out of the pokéball in an elegant but powerful way.

"Go, Magnezone!"

The magnet pokémon levitated and showed its electromagnetic field as he appeared.

"So you'll go for my weakness in this case... It's to be expected considering that you have to go through all of us as healthy as possible, but don't think I'll just let you win"

"I would expect no less from the Elite four"

"Yanmega, use double team"

Image clones of the bug appeared, rapidly flying through the battlefield.

"Magnezone use Thunder"

Magnezone attacked with a fierce lightning that struck many copies of Yanmega, but it missed.

"Dammit"

"Yanmega, use Double Team again!"

"What? How's that a strategy?"

"Just wait pal, I know what I'm doing so you better start thinking..."

"Tsk! Magnezone, use Lock On!"

Magnezone locked on all copies of Yanmega.

"Huh? You don't mean-" Aaron knew what was coming.

"You can't escape this"

"Yanmega use U-Turn"

The pokemon's attack wasn't effective, but it managed to escape.

"Well, it's just starting..." Zero said to himself.

"Go, Scizor" Said Aaron.

"Go, Gallade!"

The rare pokémon impressed Aaron.

"Hey, that's one I don't face regularly, aside from Lucian's. You get extra points for that"

"Get ready to face defeat _pal_ , Gallade use Close Combat!"

Gallade threw a barrage of fighting hits that KO'd Scizor in one hit.

"What the hell?" Aaron couldn't believe what had happened.

"Heracross go!"

The beetle pokémon stood fiercely against Gallade.

"You are lucky, I don't have any pokémon with fire attacks anymore... But that doesn't mean you are safe, Gallade, use Psychic!"

Heracross suffered great damage from the attack, and almost went unconscious.

"Heracross, use Night Slash!"

With its remaining energy, he landed a critical hit on Gallade. It made a considerable damage, but not enough to make Zero or his pokémon worry.

"Psychic again!"

Gallade did as he was ordered and finished off Heracross with that move.

"Tsk! Go Vespiquen!"

The queen bee was now on the field.

"Gallade, return. Now, Magnezone go back to the field"

Magnezone came back eager to battle.

"I won't repeat the same mistake, twice. Magnezone, Lock On!"

"No! Vespiquen use Defend Order!"

Vespiquen formed a swarm around her for protection.

"Not good enough, Magnezone, use Zap Cannon!"

The pokémon charged its nost powerful electric attack and blasted it. The attack went through the swarm with no problem and finished Vespiquen in one hit.

"This can't be! You, you're as dangerous as an Elite Four, if not stronger!"

"I came to challenge Cynthia. I _cannot_ lose"

"Yanmega, go back to battle!"

"You have realised that you lost?"

"We'll see about that... Use Air Slash!"

Yanmega slashed Magnezone's body with a powerful physical attack. Magnezone's impenetrable defense was better than that though.

"Again, Lock On!"

"No, not this time, I'm not giving up, use Fly!"

"Huh?"

Yanmega flew, which made impossible for Magnezone to hit it with its next attack.

"You won't give up will you? Well, I can say you're worthy of your title"

"I'll fight 'til the very end, to shkw you the true strength of Bug types!"

"You've done well at least, but I'm not giving up, since you won't attack this turn, neither will I, so I'll give Magnezone X-Precission"

"No..."

Yanmega attacked from the sky and went back to its place.

"Now, Magnezone, Zap Cannon once again!"

Magnezone blasted the electric energy at full power towards Yanmega. It got electrified and became unconscious.

"Damn, you're strong man. Go Drapion!"

"Come back, Magnezone. Go Gallade! Use Close Combat!"

Gallade once again used the severe Fighting attack and Drapion had no chance to even resist one turn.

"I knew it... But I've got a last one, one friend I reunited with a while ago..."

"Is it possible you still hope to win in your situation?"

"I realised long ago that I wouldn't be able to do that, but I will prove to the world just how brave bug pokémon are" Aaron closed his fist with determination as he said these words.

"Show me then!" Zero encouraged him.

"Go, Beautifly! And right away, use Shadow Ball!"

"Gallade!"

The attack was super effective and Gallade felt it. He was at about three quarters of his energy.

"I'll end you with him anyway, use Shadow Ball!" Zero said.

A powerful Shadow Ball was formed and it attacked Beautifly, who lacking defense, fell unconscious with that attack.

"Damn... I lost. But I don't feel bad about losing to you, cause man, you _are_ strong. Don't think that you have won this yet, this is just getting started, and three other Elite trainers are waiting for you behind this door"

"I know. It was a good fight, I hope we can face each other again some day" Zero said and shook his hand.

"I wish you the best of luck, show them the same enthusiasm you showed me"

"I will, just you wait and see"

"Gallade!" Shouted the pokémon standing by his side.

"Oh, sorry. _We_ will"

~~~~X~~~~

 **And I finished the new chapter. It wasn't as tedius as I thought it would be, but I had to investigate quite a bit about Aaron and his pokémon before making that battle. At the end of my last Higurashi chapter is an explanation about my current situation in case you're interested.**

 **Reviews:**

 **boredommaster:** **I thought this is Borderlands Pokemon crossover.** **N** **ext time you just spent like that I'll kick you in the nuts lol**

 **I'm not going to really kick you in the nuts.**

 **Darkmatter17: ...I just can't understand why you think it could be a crossover in the first place if it is not in the Crossover cathegory, and if you think you could even try to kick me in the nuts, well, you're being pretty funny.**

 **Darkmatter17 out.**


	4. The Final Door

Zero went through the next two Elite Four members without any trouble. Both Bertha and Flint were surprised at his trainer skills, and wished him luck as he had to face the strongest of them: Lucian.

Zero entered the room and saw the adult man sitting in a couch while reading a book.

Lucian noticed his arrival so he put the book back in a shelf and greeted him.

"My apologies, it's just that not many manage to get this far"

"But I'm not just anybody. After all, I came here to become Champion. Nothing more, nothing less"

"Wait a minute... Have we met before...?" Lucian had a better look at his face.

"I'm surprised you remember, it's been quite a while. Gallade is doing fine" Zero smiled as he remembered that encounter.

"I see. I knew I had seen your face somewhere before. I'm glad I left that egg in your care, but now I want to see just how much you've grown"

"I guess it can't be helped..." Zero grabbed a Pokéball.

"Show me. Go, Bronzong!"

"Heh, time for a rematch... Go Gastrodon!"

The slug made its characteristic sound.

"Bronzong, use psychic!"

Gastrodon couldn't evade it, but it didn't matter because it had a good defense.

"Gastrodon, use Surf"

Upon Zero's orders, the pokemon created a massive wave that hit the rival.

"It's nothing!" Claimed Lucian, but in fact, Bronzong had been hurt pretty badly because it was a critical hit. "Use Psychic again!"

But as Bronzong concentrated, Zero saw an opportunity to deal the finishing blow without taking any damage.

"Again, use Surf, quick!"

Gastrodon did as he was told and made a smaller but faster wave to knock out Bronzong.

"Brrron... Zooongghh..." It worked.

"You did well buddy... Medicham, go!" Lucian was fired up due to his strong rival.

"You won't! Come back, Gastrodon. Now go... Gallade!"

Zero's ace in weaknesses due to type was now in the field.

"I can't believe it! He's grown so much!" Lucian got excited.

"Yeah, and I'll show you how grateful I am for him"

"Medicham, use Ice Punch!"

"Gallade, counter with Shadow Ball!"

Gallade created a large ball of ghost energy in no time and blasted it directly at Medicham.

As the pokemon was in mid-air, he wasn't able to evade the attack and got blown away by the Shadow Ball.

"No, Medicham!"

Lucian's pokemon had been taken out in a single but very effective blow.

"That's for the hard time he gave us a while ago..." Zero remembered.

"You surely got immensely powerful. I guess I'll have to think harder in order to defeat you"

"Sorry, but what my team has now is far beyond mere strength. I learned a lot about strategy through those years as well"

"Oh really, show me then... Girafarig!"

"Heh another one wants to fall at the hands of Gallade? Show him, Shadow Ball!"

"It seems you've forgotten about something" Lucian smiled proudly.

"Huh?"

"Girafarig is a Normal/Psychic type. Ghost type attacks won't affect him... But they will affect Gallade!"

"Damn it!"

"Use Shadow Ball!"

Girafarig used the same attack on Gallade and it worked as expected, Gallade took a lot of damage.

Even though he could still fight, Zero thought it would be better not to take any further risk and change tactics.

"Gallade, come back. Go... Porygon-Z!"

The strangest pokemon from Zero's team made an appearance to fight this new threat.

"Use Tri Attack!" Zero ordered.

His pokemon attacked Girafarig with lightning, fire and ice all at once. It worked, but the horse-like being could still fight.

"Girafarig, Psychic!"

Porygon-Z took the attack, but withstood it incredibly well.

"Perfect Porygon-Z, now end him with Hyper Beam!"

His partner blasted the pure energy beam at the rival in just a second.

After the blast was heard, Girafarig was lying unconscious on the field.

"I didn't expect that..." Lucian muttered as he encased Girafarig in his pokeball. "Go, Mr. Mime!"

"Mime!" replied the clown.

"Go back, Porygon-Z. Now it's time to return to battle, Gallade!"

"Are you sure about using him even after he was weakened?" Lucian daunted.

"I trust in my ability as a trainer... But even more in _his_ abilty as a fighter!"

"Gallade!" The green warrior replied proudly.

"I wonder if what you claim is true or you're just being stubborn... Well, it's time to find out! Mr. Mime, use Light Screen"

"Mime!" He created a barrier that protected his party from taking complete damage from Special Attacks.

"Huh? That's odd, by doing that he's literally asking to be attacked" Zero thought. "Gallade, finish him in one blow, use Shadow Ball!"

The pokemon did as told with no hesitation and finished off Mr. Mime.

"Now you're mine" Lucian muttered. "You did well, Mr. Mime. Go, Gallade!"

"So that's what you were after!"

"Of course, a one on one match between the two. But of course, yours is a lot weaker at the moment"

"Bastard"

"Don't worry. I won't see this as a fair duel. It will just be part of a pokemon battle, which means that weakening your opponent before fighting the strongest of the team is just one more tactic one can use"

"Sorry, you're right. But I'm not gonna step back just because the odds are against me, and neither will my pokemon. Gallade, use Close Combat!".

"What? I thought he'd use Shadow Ball or Psychic" Lucian thought. "Gallade, counter with Psycho Cut!"

The foe dealt damage on Gallade, but he didn't stop. He charged fiercely against his rival and punched him repeatedly with all his might.

In the end, Lucian's pokemon was knocked out, but after the battle, Gallade was too worn out to continue and fell to the ground as well.

"You did well, buddy" Zero said as he returned him to his pokeball.

"Impressive. If he hadn't been wounded previously this would've been an easy win for him, I'm sure" Lucian remarked.

"But anyway, we're not over just yet... Are we?"

"Of course not. I have one last pokemon to face you... Come forth, Alakazam!"

The yellow wizard made his appearance and threatened Zero with his psychic powers by twisting the spoons he carried.

"Just to show you how much my team has grown, I'll send... Magnezone!"

The one-eyed pokemon looked intimidating as well.

"An interesting decision... It's not bad for you, but it doesn't mean an advantage either"

"Even if that's the case you'll see that facing him is not easy in any way"

"Well, let's do it then! Alakazam, use Psychic!"

"Magnezone, use Thunder!"

Alakazam was quicker, but Magnezone's attack did hit his rival afterwards, dealing a good amount of damage and paralyzing him as well.

"Damn it... I guess this is the end" Thought Lucian.

"Magnezone, finish it with Mirror Shot!"

"MAGNEZONE" Replied the pokemon as he complied.

Alakazam was unable to move and as a result was defeated by Zero's Magnezone.

The leader of the Elite Four put his defeated pokemon inside his pokeball and gave his final thoughts to Zero.

"Well, what else can I say... Congratulations on defeating the Elite Four! I am very happy to see how much you've grown"

"I was also glad to encounter you once again"

"Anyway, I guess you perfectly know the person who is waiting in the next room. I'm rooting for you!"

"Haha, thanks for that. It's time for me to continue then, towards the last obstacle"

"Good luck" Lucian waved his hand and sat back in his spot to read.

Zero exited the room and encountered a longer hallway than the ones he'd seen before.

He used a Revive on Gallade and restored the health of all his pokemon.

In the end there was a platform that rose from the current level to a higher place that symbolized the Champion's superiority.

"Cynthia has come a long way hasn't her..." He remembered meeting her as an annoying little brat and travelling around the region with her during their teenage days.

"Well, I made an effort to get here as well, so there's no reason to turn back now. Even if I made a couple- Well, A LOT of mistakes along the way... I've got to be man enough to redeem myself and face the woman I love, even if she could reject me, for which I wouldn't blame her at all"

The elevator-platform stopped and Zero walked the last meters of structure before the room of Sinnoh's Champion.

He stood in front of the giant steel gate for a moment. It wasn't easy for him, but he had to do it. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and when he opened them again he said:

"This is it"

And with decision, he pushed the gate and entered the room he had always yearned to enter.

Inside there was a black room full of weird cubic structures probably used for decoration. It was quite Avant-garde, but at the same time the room had a minimalistic air to it.

However, the only thing that had his attention at the moment was one blonde girl standing on the other side of the field.

"Interesting. It's been a while since the last challenger..." She was checking what seemed to be a journal, so she didn't notice who had arrived.

"Um... It's been a long time, eh, Cynthia?"

The journal fell to the floor immediately.

"No way..." She muttered as she heard his voice.

Her mind raced with memories of him. Her best friend, who was even her boyfriend at one point, a person who had disappeared from her life such a long time ago had suddenly reappeared in no other place than the room of the Champion.

"Z-ZERO?!"

 **~~~~X~~~~**

 **And so we get to the end. It's been a long time, eh? Well, I haven't forgotten about this, it's just, that it's quite a tedious story to write for the battles and stuff, but I hope you're happy with the way it turned out.**

 **I'll try to work on the next one as soon as possible, but don't expect it to be ready soon.**

 **Evhron out.**


	5. Cynthia

"I... I don't know if I can face you like this..." Zero was starting to get nervous and a bit of cold sweat started emerging from his face.

Cynthia on her part was speechless. Her expression showed a mixture of awkwardness, but there was a hint of happiness in her mouth. No words would come out of it though.

"But..." Zero continued. "I've already made it this far. It would be the dumbest decision in my life to turn back now so, here I go Cynthia, I challenge you as a champion. And if I win, I want you to hear everything I have to say"

Cynthia closed her eyes and answered with a great smile. "Of course, I can't let any feeling get to me. As a champion, I accept your challenge!" She let a pokeball out. "And as a friend..." She stuttered a bit as she continued. "I would always hear you out, Zero"

He could feel a hint of sadness in her voice. The memories and feelings they shared together were too strong not to leave a scar after everything happened, but Zero knew that the only way to get past all that was through battle, because in a fight, all ideas, feelings and motivations are communicated unconsciously.

"Go, Spiritomb!" The first pokemon of the Champion made her apparition.

"Let's do it. One more time. It's a one on one, Spiritomb!"

It was indeed an odd choice, but Cynthia perfectly knew that this wasn't a battle based on technique and calculation. This was a battle they had to fight solely depending on their hearts.

"Spiritomb, use silver wind!" Attacked Cynthia.

"Spiritomb... Evil Eye" Zero calmly commanded. _(*Evil Eye* is Hex in Japan)._

"Huh? What is he...?" Cynthia muttered in confusion.

Zero had always been a more offensive type of trainer, which was the reason for his friend's reaction.

The male Spiritomb received the attack with no problem. He trusted his trainer, and understood that this was the only way. He also knew, that the pain was far from over.

"Now, use Dark Pulse" Cynthia attacked once again.

"Spiritomb, use curse!" The amount of damage his pokemon received due to both attacks was considerable, but Zero had previously given a berry so he could recover a little.

Cynthia's pokemon was cursed with no chance of escaping, due to Evil Eye.

"So this is what you wanted. I didn't expect that from you, Zero"

"We might have the same taste in pokemon, but I am always improving my ways of handling a battle" He replied with a smirk.

"You always taught me... But I can't be a student forever!" As she said this, she raised her hand, signing a command to her pokemon. "Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse again! If we can't escape, we might as well defeat him!"

Zero's pokemon felt the damage. If this went on for two more turns, it would be the end, however, Zero could only rejoice at the battle.

"Fufufu... You are always doing the most logical thing, aren't you? However, I'm just as logical as you, if not more... Spiritomb, Dark Pulse"

His ghost attacked with the same move, and it turned out to be... A critical hit!

The foe Spiritomb got her energy halved in one attack, only to be dealt the damage of the curse after.

"Tsk!" Cynthia bit her lip. "If Spiritomb doesn't make it, the best chance I'll have is defeating his in a single move with my next pokemon" She thought. "One more time, Dark Pulse!"

The creature did as it was ordered and kept attacking.

Zero's Spiritomb was now critical, but still, it had one last shot.

"It's now or never... Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse!"

The attack dealt a decent amount of damage, but the curse fulfilled its use and finished the job.

Cynthia's Spiritomb fainted after shaking in an unhealthy way.

"Guess mine is a tad stronger..." Zero muttered.

"No. I failed to read your move. It was the trainer that did the job, but don't worry, I won't male the same mistake. We've just begun"

"That's the Cynthia I know" He replied with a sad smile.

"You did well, Spiritomb. Go, Roserade!" The plant type pokemon made its apparition on the battlefield.

"Spiritomb, use one last Curse!"

"Not so fast! Roserade, use Shadow Ball!"

An ominous phere of ghost energy flew directly at Spiritomb and took hin down before he could curse Roserade.

"Damn, seems like I'll have to change as well... Go back, Spiritomb. Come, Porygon-Z!"

"I wasn't expecting to face _him_ so early on" Cynthia knew that _that_ pokemon in particular was Zero's trump card. Possibly due to its strange moveset.

"This just shows how much I respect you as a trainer, Cynthia. I'm going all out!"

"Roserade, use Energy Ball!"

"Porygon-Z, counter with Psychic!"

The rare pokemon's attack was faster and super effective, which made Roserade fail at aiming the attack.

"It seems I'll have to change the plan a little... Roserade, use Sludge Bomb!"

Roserade created a purple poisonous sphere from the top of her head and shot it towards Porygon-Z, who received mild damage but was poisoned effectively.

"Dammit! That one's gonna hurt" Zero cursed.

"Now, show me what you'll do next, Zero" Cynrhia challenged with a smirk.

"Pretty simple actually. Hyper Beam"

Porygon-Z blasted a large beam of pure energy and hit Roserade directly.

"No, Roserade!" Shouted Cynthia as her pokemon fell to the ground unconscious. "You did well..." She sighed as she put her back in the pokeball.

"Sorry, but I'm not holding anything back" Zero apologized.

As they spoke, Porygon-Z took damage from the poison.

"No need for apologies. This is a battle, fair and square. I'd be angry if you didn't give it your all"

"As expected from you Cynthia" He smiled at her.

"Now, prepare yourself for the next challenge... Go, Togekiss! Use Aura Sphere!"

The moment Togekiss appeared on the field, he launched an especially dangerous attack towards an already weakened and poisoned Porygon-Z.

"No!" Zero exclaimed as he saw his friend defeated in an instant. "Well, it was to be expected. It's time for you to meet a very old friend... Go, Magnezone!"

The oldest pokemon in the party made its apparition.

"It's been a long while since I last saw him" Cynthia remembered.

"And now I'm gonna show you just how strong he got. Magnezone, use Lock On, right away!"

"Togekiss, use Fly!" Cynthia ordered so he could escape the imminent attack.

"Dammit. But I won't give up so easily. Use Thunder Wave!"

Togekiss attacked Magnezone from the air, but just as he did, Zero's pokemon paralyzed the attacker.

Cynthia didn't seem to expect that move, but she didn't lose her composure as she thought of a way to defeat Zero.

"Magnezone... Finish it with Zap Cannon!"

A tremendous discharge of electricity hit Togekiss, who was unable to move. The result was more than obvious.

"I didn't expect you to paralyze him and finish him afterwards"

"You should've used Aura Sphere once again. It would've dealt more damage"

"I'll remember that for next time. Now I'll have to finish Magnezone for good! Go, Lucario!"

"Magnezone, use Thunder Wave"

"I won't let you! And actually, I'll make good use of your advice. Lucario, show him your Aura Sphere!"

Lucario created a much bigger attack than Togekiss. It was undeniable that he was born for Fighting moves.

Magnezone tried to endure the attack, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a critical hit. He had no chance of withstanding it.

"So quick? Talk about bad luck... But you gave it your all, old friend" Said Zero as he put Magnezone back.

"You are not nearly done though, I can tell just by looking at your face. Magnezone was the oldest, but he was not the strongest if I remember well"

"You asked for it, Cynthia" Zero said as he grabbed the most dangerous member of his team. "Destroy, Gallade"

Gallade came out with a determined look on his face. He knew Zero was in trouble, amd he'd do anything he could to help him.

"Let's do this, buddy. Don't even let him breathe. Use Psycho-cut!"

Gallade did as he was told and inflicted a lot of damage on Lucario, his fighting-type rival.

Lucario almost fainted from the attack, but he refused to give up.

"Lucario! I know you can do it, use Earthquake!"

The pokemon used all the strength he had left to attack Gallade, and omce again, it was critical. However, Gallade withstood it very well.

"I'll show you a real move for a fighting type. Close Combat!"

Zero's pokemon threw a barrage of punches at Lucario, who had fainted in mid-air with the first three hits.

"Gallade, enough!" Ordered Zero as he saw the rival was already out of combat.

"Lucario!" Cynthia ran to his side. He was badly wounded, but he had been worse. "Phew... He'll be alright. Thank you for stopping the attack"

"This is a battle. I won't turn it into a massacre" Zero replied.

After hearing those words, Cynthia remembered how kind Zero was back then.

"It wasn't for nothing that I fell in love..." She thought as she looked at him.

"I'm glad Lucario is fine, but I gotta ask, who's next?" Zero called her attention.

"Oh, sorry" She snapped. "I'm gonna show you a new friend of mine. Don't worry, Gastrodon is back in town with my grandma"

"A new water-type. I see..."

"Yes, and her name is... Milotic!"

"Wow, she's very pretty" Complimented Zero.

Milotic made a gesture that showed her acceotance of the compliment.

"And she's really strong as well"

"We'll see about that, cause I'm sorry to remind you: Gallade's danger does not remain on his high combat stats, but on his versatile arsenal. Use Leaf Blade!"

Gallade cut through Milotic with an elegant posture, as if he was fighting a duel of swordsmanship.

Milotic was still standing, but the damage was real.

"Milotic, use Ice Beam!"

The beautiful pokemon opened its mouth and blasted a freezing ray at Gallade. There wasn't much damage, but Gallade had been frozen solid.

"No!" Zero exclaimed in astonishment. "Gallade, you can break through it, I know you can... Use Close Combat to break through it!"

Gallade did not move.

"I'm sorry, but that's just how battles are. Milotic, use Surf!" Cynthia ordered.

Gallade was badly hurt by the water attack, but thanks to it, the ice that captured him was weakened, and Zero noticed.

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade!"

The pokemon suddenly broke free, and with shards of ice still flying all over the place, he swinged his arm in the shape of a sword to declare his victory. Milotic only opened her eyes as she saw her rival approaching.

"GALLADE!" He screamed as he hit Milotic.

The water pokemon became unconscious in that perpetual black second.

"As expected of you and your pokemon Zero. You always find a way"

"Yeah. It wasn't as orthodox as I would like it to be, but it worked out well"

Cynthia exhaled. "Well, It's time for us to end this, isn't it?"

"Of course. Come. With everything you and Garchomp have"

"If only this could've been a battle where _he_ was present" Cynthia thought.

"I know what you're thinking. I won't deny that it makes me sad. But, we gotta move on. Me and my team came back to this place, to close the book of the past once and for all!"

"Zero..."

"And that's not all. I'm sure... I'm sure that Garchomp would be glad that he sacrificed his life so you could become a Champion!"

"Are you sure?"

"He was my best friend, Cynthia"

Zero remembered how during their path through Victoey Road, a colossal collapse occurred and giant rocks were falling right where Cynthia was standing.

Zero didn't have time to think, and inside his mind, he believed that gis friend would mangage to save her and get out alive, but reality was a lot crueller.

 _"Cynthia!"_

 _"Zero!"_

 _"No... Go, Garchomp! Please, save her!"_

The pokemon did everything he could to break the rocks as they were falling down, but finally, he decided to grab Cynthia and threw her somewhere safe.

The rocks fell down and crushed Garchomp with no mercy.

 _"Garchomp..."_

For one second, he thought his friend could make it.

For one second, he thought Garchomp would come out of the pile of rocks, trimphant.

For one second... He thought he would at least hear a sound beneath the rocks.

But none of that happened.

 _"Zero... Are you... Are you alright?"_

 _"Can we... Can we get away from here, Cynthia?"_

 _"Of course. Of course, Zero"_

And so the two left, with tears in their eyes that time.

"And now... I will become Champion, in his name!"

"I will never forget everything you and Garchomp did for me, Zero. I promise to give you the fight you deserve!"

"That's all I wanted to hear..." He replied full of hopes, dreams and determination.

"Let's give it our last shot, Garchomp!"

"Gallade, do your best. You know this is the end, so why don't you show them your final act as a swordsman?"

"Gallade!" He replied in agreement. He stood for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened them again and ran towards the dragon.

He approached the beast as if it was a fantastic tale from the middle ages. Gallade jumped above Garchomp's head and put both of his arms together to create a Leaf Claymore with them.

Neither Cynthia nor Garchomp had ever seen that move. In the end, it was just a different way to use Leaf Blade, but it was a much stronger attack.

Garchomp screamed in pain as the giant plant claymore wounded him. He was not defeated yet, though.

"Garchomp, Outrage!"

A tremendous amount of energy created a wild explosion around the dragon, harming Gallade for the last possible time in the battle.

"Gallade!" Zero screamed as he saw his friend getting thrown away from Garchomp's side.

He pulled the pokeball to let him rest and muttered: "You did amazing, buster. You earned this rest"

"I had never seen something like that... You never stop to amaze me" Cynthia said with admiration.

"I just had the idea, but it was Gallade the one who did all the effort to pull it off. It wasn't easy, at all, but I knew that it'd be great when we managed to do it in battle"

"Please. Keep showing me. You have one more left, don't you?"

"Of course. We're not over yet... Or are we, Gastrodon?" Zero said as he got the slug out.

"I missed him a lot as well. I can't wait to see what you'll do with him"

"Heh, I'd love to have something more elaborate under my sleeve, but the truth is, I have a simple type advantage to end it all. Gastrodon. Use Ice Beam!"

Garchomp was still using outrage due to the nature of the attack. There was a large explosion between the Dragon energy and the ice shards.

Once the icy mist and dust dissipated, Zero could see the outcome of the battle.

Gastrodon was badly injured by it, in fact Zero didn't know if he would stay conscious.

Garchomp on the other end, was frozen inside a block of ice.

There was a deep silence in the battleground, until the sound of ice cracking resonated through the room.

The ice block broke, but Garchomp fell knocked out from it.

Gastrodon on his part, was shaking and trying to stay awake, but his body gave up in the end.

"No way..." Zero muttered.

"It is..." Cynthia said.

"...A tie!" They said at the same time.

"Dammit. After all effort we put..." Zero sighed frustrated.

"Zero. You did incredibly well. If you had only one more pokemon in your team, you would have claimed the position of Champion. Through all these years, no one has been as close as you from taking this title from me. You should be happy" Cynthia smiled.

"I'm sure I could've done it better... But whatever, the past is set" He said resigned.

"Was there anything you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that in he heat of the battle"

Zero walked to her side and they sat down in a little stairway there was in the room. Then he explained Cynthia everything that happened during the past years.

"Zero... It doesn't make me proud hearing about your mistakes" She concluded after his confession, a bit dissapointed.

"I guess not..." He sadly smiled and bit his lip.

"But I know you are not like that anymore. During this fight, I felt the passion of not only my best friend, but also from the man I used to love so much"

"Used to..." He repeated. That phrase hit him like a kick in the stomach.

"Well, to be honest, it's been a while. I've been doing many things, faced different challenges and dealt with various problems during my time as a Champion. I'm not the same girl you used to know..."

"I understand..." He replied with a stench of misery.

"No, Zero. I'm not done yet. Even after all I've grown and changed, I realised today that my feelings for you haven't changed. I love you, Zero, and I greatly admire the inner strength you have to get up and move on after all the hardships you've faced" Cynthia gave him a warm hug and Zero felt how tears ran from her eyes.

"Cynthia..." His amber eyes filled with hope.

"Sorry" She apologized as she washed the tears off her face. "It's just, I'm so glad I could see you again. I pretended being cool and measured, but ever since I saw you enter through that door, all I wanted was to run to your side and feel your warm embrace" She blushed as she confessed this.

"I missed you so much, Cynthia. I promise you, I won't ever give up on my love for you or pokemon again" He said determined.

"And I promise to always be there for you when you need me" She rested her head on his chest.

Zero remembered that very well. The first weeks without her, he layed awake in bed feeling the spot on his chest where she used to rest her head.

"I love you, Cynthia" He finally said and kissed her passionately.

~~~~X~~~~

 _A couple weeks after the battle_.

Zero was laying on the tender grass of the forest near Celestic Town, looking at the sky while munching a quince.

After he ate it all, he proceeded to grab the next one, but there was nothing in that spot.

"Huh? What the-?" He looked to his right to look for the quince.

"Sorry, I was feeling a bit hungry" Cynthia apologized.

"*sigh* The only thing that changed is your attitude. You haven't stopped stealing my fruit" Zero reprimended her but was happy that she was by his side. "How was Unova?" He asked her.

"Not bad, I guess. There were strong trainers, but none of them defeated me"

"You'll have to keep waiting then"

"I came across a very odd person, though. He was a guy with green hair that could speak to pokemon just like if they were people. He wasn't very strong, but he had the passion of a real trainer"

"Really? What was his name?"

"He didn't tell me. All he did was give me this egg. He said that he felt like he had to give it to me"

"Odd, but neat. You don't know what it is?"

"I have no idea. But, I thought I should give it to you. I already have six pokemon in my party"

"Really, Cynthia?" He received the egg. "Thank you so much! I wonder what's inside..."

"Well, I've been carrying it for a while now, so it should be-"

The egg started moving.

"Woah!" Exclaimed Zero.

"Ready" She completed, not believing her luck.

The egg moved more and more, until the pokemon started hatching.

"No way! It's so cool! What's this little guy's name?" He asked.

"I think that's a Deino. They are a Dark/Dragon type pokemon and they are blind in their first stages. They can _see_ with sound and tact, but I think they look so cute like that" Cynthia said as she pat the head of the creature in Zero's lap.

"Well, now I have the perfect rival for your Garchomp"

"Sure! I can't wait to see how powerful it becomes!"

"Thank you, Cynthia. Nothing else would've made me happier" He kissed her cheek.

"I knew you'd like it. After all, I love you" She kissed him in the lips.

"I love you too Cynthia"

~~~~X~~~~

 **Here is the end to Zero's little adventure. I know that I took very long between chapters, but I also gave it my all to write the best chapters I could.**

 **I won't lie, writing battles is tedious as FUCK. But in the end, I think it was a nice story and a lighter fic than most of my work**.

 **I thank you all for following this story, and with this closure I can now start a new fic, this time, about one of my favourite Shonen: Bleach.**

 **Evhron, out.**


End file.
